


three times they could feel each other

by thisfairytalegonebad



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: 3+1, Angst, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Episode Gladiolus DLC, Episode Ignis DLC, Episode Prompto DLC, Fluff, Found Family, Game Spoilers, Gen, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Game(s), References to Depression
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 22:36:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17733953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisfairytalegonebad/pseuds/thisfairytalegonebad
Summary: ...and one time they could not.Every time one of them is missing, the others are able to tell if they're alive at least through their connection to the Armiger- and how badly off they are depending on how many curatives are being pulled from the Armiger.Though, of course, ultimately the connection runs through Noct, and there cannot be a connection without him.





	1. I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This idea came to me as I was trying to beat the Episode Gladiolus speedrun trial thing with one million points for the thousandth time (and I still haven't managed it yet, god damnit, I just want the fucking trophy??? I thought Prompto's snowmobile trophy was going to kill me but I was wrong, it's the speed trial).
> 
> Basically, the idea is that their connection through the Armiger is a bit stronger than in the game; they are able to feel each other, and of course they can tell when one of them is accessing the Armiger.
> 
> For now, enjoy single mother Ignis Scientia with his two kids, worrying about their missing dad during Episode Gladiolus!

“...the big guy sure is using a lot of curatives, huh?” Prompto said hesitantly into the quiet of the tent.

They’d gone to bed well over two hours ago, but Ignis had known from the way they were breathing that neither of his two companions was asleep yet, not even Noct.

“Yeah…” Noct muttered, tight with thinly veiled concern.

Ignis sighed and sat up, turning on the camping lamp below the tent roof and feeling around for his glasses. studied both Noct’s and Prompto’s faces for a moment before he unzipped the tent entrance. “How would you two like some hot chocolate?”

“Aww, yeah, you’re the best!” Prompto agreed quickly and struggled to free himself from the sleeping bag that was stubbornly clinging to him.

Noct followed suit. “I’m gonna try to get the fire going again.”

They all knew the odds that he’d actually succeed weren’t high, considering their pathetic display after reaching the haven. Failing to get a fire started was once again proof of how much they needed Gladio by their side. Still, Ignis knew it gave Noct something to do at least while he prepared the hot chocolate and Prompto attempted to help him, so he didn’t say anything.

After having gently shooed Prompto away from the stove by making him understand that there weren’t two people needed for hot chocolate, Ignis tried to focus on the task at hand instead of the tingling sensation every time Gladio pulled a curative from the Armiger.

For the first couple of days after Gladio left, they hadn’t been too worried. Ignis was still wondering what reasons Gladio could possibly have had, but, having known Gladio for almost as long as he’d known Noct, trusted him to do only what was necessary and to return to them soon.

Tonight was different. They had long since gotten used to the fact that their connection to the Armiger, and by extension to each other, came with noticing every time someone pulled something out of the Armiger. Usually, though, they were with each other when it happened and quite literally _watched_ each other summon curatives.

Now, though, Gladio was gone all on his own, and it didn’t help that they didn’t even know where he had gone or what he was doing. They wouldn’t be able to help him if needed, and there was no way to check for themselves if he was alright. Ignis would have loved to simply trust Gladio to take care of himself and return in one piece, but he couldn’t help worrying. Even more worryingly, the other two were concerned too, otherwise, Ignis might have been able to chalk it up to his intense ‘mother henning instinct’ as the others liked to call it.

All night, Gladio had been pulling curatives from the Armiger, only one at first, then after a while another one, until he kept accessing the Armiger at a rather alarming rate.

Sleep, Ignis thought, would be a miracle tonight.

He brought over the mugs of steaming hot chocolate, handing one to each of his friends and keeping one for himself - he’d figured coffee wouldn’t do him much good at this hour - as he sat down by the cold fireplace. Needless to say, Noct hadn’t managed to start a fire.

“You think he’s gonna be okay?” Prompto asked quietly, drawing patterns into the ashes left from people who had been more successful at making fires on the haven in the past.

“‘Course,” Noct said, but it didn’t sound as confident as it should have to make Prompto feel any better.

Instead, Prompto slumped even more and threw the stick he had been using to mess with the ashes onto the neatly arranged wood. “Man, I hope he comes back soon. I want a fire!”

“Don’t blame me, you weren’t any good at it either!” Noct defended himself.

Ignis tuned them out for a moment and closed his eyes, focusing on the Armiger and its contents and counted how many curatives were left- or rather, how many Gladio had used.

At least he had mostly used regular potions, Ignis noticed. That meant he hadn’t been badly hurt at least. Two hi-potions were missing as well; those were more worrisome.

Just as Ignis started to let his focus drift away from the Armiger again, a phoenix down was pulled from it. He flinched, eyes snapping open with a gasp.

“Specs, you okay?” Noct demanded immediately.

Ignis took a deep breath, not wanting to alarm the other two. Gladio was still able to summon a phoenix down, that meant at least he wasn’t _dead_. Yet, now Ignis was certain he wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore until Gladio was back with them.

“...Yes. Don’t worry.”

“Bit late for that,” Noct muttered, but he didn’t pry. “Hey… is there any hot chocolate left?”

“Yes,” Ignis said, trying to calm his heart that was beating far too fast for his liking. “There’s still plenty.”

Noct got to his feet, making his way over to the stove.

“Oh, me too!” Prompto exclaimed and thrust his empty mug at Noct.

Noct rolled his eyes. “I’m your king,” he reminded, but he took the mug anyway.

“Yeah, yeah, now get your peasant the chocolate!”

By the time there was no more hot chocolate left, it was well past midnight, Prompto wrapped his arms around himself. “I dunno about you guys, but I’m ready to go back inside. I think I’m gonna freeze to death if I stay here any longer.”

“People don’t freeze to death so easily, Prompto,” Ignis told him. “Regardless, I agree. We should try to get at least some rest.”

He got up and collected the empty mugs. Briefly, he considered cleaning them before he went back inside, but after a second of staring at the sponge and thinking how much he _really_ did not want to wash up right now, he simply set them down in the sink and decided to leave them for once.

Both Prompto and Noct were already inside the tent when he entered. Ignis took one look at the boys curled up in the tent that was much too big for the three of them and collected his sleeping bag from near the tent wall.

“Noct, could you please scoot over a bit?”

Noct did as he was told, albeit a bit puzzled, but understanding soon dawned on his face when Ignis settled between him and Prompto, lay down on his back, and spread out his arms.

“Come,” he said.

Without hesitation, both boys shuffled closer and curled up to Ignis who wrapped his arms around them to keep them close.

“Do try to sleep for a couple of hours. You will need the energy,” he told them gently when they had properly settled against him.

“Mmmkay,” Noct muttered, eyes already closed.

Prompto whispered, “Good night.”  
  
It took a while, but at last, their breathing slowed and they were both fast asleep, Noct, unsurprisingly before Prompto, but not much later Prompto was out like a light as well.

Ignis lay with his eyes closed and both of his hands caressing Noct’s and Prompto’s hair, but sleep would not come to him. The worry for Gladio was too great, but at least, he hadn’t pulled any more curatives from the Armiger since the phoenix down. Still, the fear of not noticing the next time Gladio required a potion - or worse - wouldn’t let him get any rest, no matter how little he would be able to help anyway.

Ignis sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he would only sleep again when Gladio was back. At least the other two were getting some rest, that was what counted.

* * *

 

“You guys miss me?” Gladio asked gleefully. He was sporting a fair handful of new scars to exactly no one’s surprise, and thanks to his usual revealing clothes Ignis could very clearly see in the shape of a giant scar across his torso the very reason why he had required a phoenix down.

“Yeah, we couldn’t get the fire started,” Noct said dryly, pretending very hard he hadn’t missed Gladio at all.

Ignis busied himself with his cooking equipment until Gladio sauntered over and threw a heavy arm around his shoulders, nearly knocking him off balance.

“What about you, Iggy? How’d you like being a single mom?”

Now, Ignis loved Gladio to death, like he loved Noct and Prompto. He was relieved to have him back safe and sound, too; seeing him had been a great weight off his chest. He also normally did not mind Gladio’s habit of touching everyone anytime, not at all. But the stress of having had to best an entire dungeon with one capable but unfamiliar companion instead of Gladio, paired with the fact that Ignis had not slept the past few nights and was currently running on more coffee than what was healthy - he couldn’t remember the exact number of how many cans he’d had this morning which, frankly, said enough about his state - and _all of it was Gladio’s fault alone_ \- well, nobody could blame him for wanting to strangle Gladio on the spot right now for having the _godsdamn_ nerve to crack stupid jokes at him.

Fortunately - for Gladio - Noct and Prompto unintentionally saved Gladio’s life.

“Don’t bother Specs, he’s pissy today.”

“Yeah,” Prompto added and grabbed Gladio’s arm to pull him aside. “He’s been stuck babysitting us all alone, cut him some slack. C’mon you gotta see the pics I took of that dungeon! It was _amazing_ inside!”

Ignis longingly eyed a can of Ebony in the cooler, but he was fairly certain that his heart might just give out if he had any more caffeine right now, so he grabbed himself a water bottle and wearily sat down in a camping chair by the fire.

The urge to murder Gladio lessened soon and he found himself immensely relieved that Gladio was back with them once again as he watched him and Prompto gush over the photos of the gorgeous hall inside Steyliff Grove, and Noct who sat a bit further away and fed his chocobo.

And when Gladio dragged a chair closer to him, plopped down on it and offered Ignis a big grin and told him, “Hi,” Ignis even returned the smile.

“Hi yourself. Welcome back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you MEAN this chapter is very similar to one of my other stories *coughs*
> 
> ANYWAY, hope you liked, and I'd love if you dropped me a comment!! Those water my crops and clear my skin, bless.
> 
> Next up: Episode Ignis told from Prompto's point of view.


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, Prompto walks us through Episode Ignis! Enjoy!
> 
> (By the way, I updated the warning so the major chara death is there, I guess most of you already realized that the last chapter is gonna be post game so with Noct dead)

_Noct is alive. Noct is alive. Noct is alive._

Prompto repeated the statement in his head as he ran through the ruins of Altissia’s street where none of its previous beauty was left. Somewhere along the way, he’d gotten separated from Gladio, but as much as he would have loved having the big guy with him right now, reuniting with him wasn’t his top priority right now. Noct wasn’t dead, _not yet_ , but maybe he would be if he didn’t find him fast-

He cut off the train of thoughts, willing himself not to go there. Instead, he focused on feeling Noct, the faint but thankfully still steady flow of water he had come to associate with him over the years.

The thing with the Armiger connection that nobody had told Prompto about before they’d hooked him up to Noct’s magic was that he wasn’t just connected to Noct, but to everyone who had access to the Armiger. In his case, that was only Ignis and Gladio- and at first, he couldn’t help but wonder what it had felt like for the Glaives, where so many people were all connected to the king’s magic. He’d asked Gladio about it once, and apparently, the Glaives received special mental training to tune the others out, or at least banish it to the back of their mind as some sort of background tune. That’s how he had understood it, at least.

Nobody had bothered to give him or the other three the same kind of training, but Prompto absolutely did not mind. In fact, he was almost ridiculously grateful for the connection. Constantly feeling three other souls - or whatever it was, he had to admit he still didn’t really get how that whole magic thing actually worked - besides his own did wonders for his loneliness. He… hadn’t felt  _alone_ ever since the connection had been made.

It was probably kind of pathetic to feel that way, but right now, he was even more grateful for the connection than usual, since it told him that they all were alive, at least. Gladio and Ignis were both alright, which was a relief considering Ignis had been on that collapsing bridge. And Noct… yeah. Noct was alive. Didn’t get much better than that, Prompto figured.

Another cool thing Prompto had noticed was that each of his friends felt  _different._ He’d spent long nights trying to come up with descriptions, and he’d ended up with some that he felt were quite poetic, and also really really embarrassing if he ever spoke them aloud.

See, Noct felt like water. A slow but steady stream most of the time, calm and soothing, but boy could he turn dangerous. Like an actual river after heavy rain, and yeah, wasn’t that another genius metaphor. Something bad happened, like a thunderstorm, and Noct got absolutely deadly.

...right now, he felt more like a dried up creek, though. All the more reason for him to hurry up.

As he rounded another corner and realized with frustration that he had ended up in the same place he’d already been before, he spotted a familiar figure in the distance.

 _Gladio_.

Seeing him nearly brought Prompto to tears, but he swallowed them down, didn't slow down and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Gladio! Hey, big guy!”

Gladio stopped and turned around, eyes widening when he saw Prompto. Effortlessly, he caught Prompto’s shoulder when he barreled into him and nearly slammed into Gladio’s ridiculously hard abs with his nose.

A damn rock, Prompto thought. Gladio was a damn rock, and that brought him right back to his metaphors. A rock was what Gladio felt like, not just physically when his body was a real threat to Prompto’s poor nose, but also through the Armiger. Nothing could move him, Prompto often thought of him as indestructible- the scar on his chest was proof for that, any normal person would be  _dead._ And he protected them all, not just Noct. Gladio’s soul thrummed through his consciousness as a strong, immovable presence to lean on. Right now, that was exactly what Prompto needed.

“Did you find the others? Did you find _Noct?”_ Gladio demanded immediately, his expression grim with worry.

“Not since I dropped him off, I’ve been trying to find him too,” Prompto said. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard from Iggy?”

Gladio shook his head. “No. But he’s okay.”

“He  _feels_ okay,” Prompto agreed, referring to the connection he knew they could both feel.

“Yeah. Come on. We gotta find Noct.”

They broke into a sprint once again, and Prompto was suddenly really glad for all the stamina he’d built up by running regularly. Even now, his breathing became labored fast and his side hurt, but he kept going.

Altissia had been an adventure to navigate through even before Leviathan had used it as her sparring ground, but with many of the bridges collapsed and everything burning, it was a maze and nearly impossible to find a way through if you were in a hurry.

Just as he and Gladio were forced to turn around  _again_ because the street was blocked, Ignis’ presence became a lot more noticeable.

Iggy felt like fire, which was awesome because of his name, but normally, it was like… a fire in a hearth, maybe. Warm, welcoming and nurturing, and kind of like the abstract concept of home. In battle, Ignis’ fire became a controlled detonation, hitting the intended target only and returning to its initial state immediately after.

Now was different. A whole lot different. Ignis was a  _blaze,_ an actual firestorm that somehow felt literally anything _but_ controlled.

“What… the fuck,” Gladio panted next to him. “The hell is he doing?!”

Prompto didn’t have enough breath to reply, but he silently agreed. This didn’t feel like Iggy, but it was unmistakably him. Nobody else was hooked up to their literal mind and felt like fire, after all, but this was worrying.

He urged himself to go faster when a curative was pulled from the Armiger, and then another one, and  _another_ one. Beside him, Gladio sped up as well, because Iggy was usually so reluctant to take potions for himself even though he regularly forced everyone else to use one even for what was barely more than scrapes and bruises.

 _Damn, Iggy, what are you doing_ , Prompto wondered distantly as they encountered yet another broken bridge that delayed their search even more.

One second, Prompto was listening to Gladio swearing, and the next, he found himself doubling over with sudden pain in his entire head, burning up from his left arm, his _face-_

He staggered to a halt and leant on a wall of the nearest building for support, one hand coming up to his head. It felt like he was being burnt like a stack of dry wood, Ignis’ fire no longer warm, or even hot, but positively scorching, destructive, and this wasn’t good, this wasn’t good  _at all_.

“ _Fuck!_ ” Gladio gasped. Prompto couldn’t focus on looking at him, but from the sound, he could tell Gladio was leaning against the wall as well.

“What is _happening?_ ” Prompto choked, nearly unable to breathe through the pain. This  _hurt_ , but at the same time, it didn’t hurt like his own pain. He wouldn’t be able to explain it if asked, but somehow, he just knew that this pain was Iggy’s, strong enough for them to feel it through the connection.

He wasn’t able to tell how long they were standing there, even though he logically knew they had to get moving, but neither he nor Gladio managed to even stand upright on their own.

And then, just like that,  both the pain and the fire died down. Unlike after all their other battles, it didn’t stop at a cozy hearth fire, though. Instead, the fire went out completely-

The fire went out completely!? But that would mean Ignis…

“ _Gladio_ ,” Prompto forced himself to say, his voice sounding pained even to his own ears. “Gladio, he-”

“No!” Gladio bellowed, moving closer to Prompto as if he were about to grab him by his collar, but he stopped himself mid-motion and clenched his hand into a tight fist instead. “No. Focus. He’s still here. Weak, but…”

So Prompto focused. For a long, horrifying moment, he couldn’t feel anything besides Noct and Gladio, and wondered if Gladio was just imagining things they both wanted to feel, but then- there! A tiny flame, flickering like a candle in the wind, about to go out any second.

He shuddered. This was so unlike Ignis he wanted to cry. “We need to find them.”

Gladio gave a grim nod and they took off once again.

* * *

 

Prompto kept stealing glances at Ignis. Not that he needed to be careful about Iggy noticing now, it wasn’t like he could see him.

He focused on Ignis’ fire again, something he hadn’t been able to stop doing ever since Iggy had woken up. The fire was nearly back to normal now, if a little subdued, but it was hard to forget the horrible moments during which Prompto had thought it had gone out forever.

 _Iggy’s right here, and Noct’s gonna wake up soon too,_ he reminded himself when the dark thoughts once again became too overwhelming and he forced his gaze away from Ignis and onto the destroyed city. Not that that was much better. There really wasn’t much that was  _good_ right now, and wasn’t that a depressing thought.

It wasn’t long before his eyes landed on Ignis once again, though. Ignis’ face was tilted up towards the sun and his breathing was calm, and if not for the iron grip he had on that cane Accordo had gifted him with, Prompto would have thought he was asleep. Not that he could have blamed him, really. He was still on painkillers, the strong stuff, and he seemed exhausted despite sleeping a lot. Whatever had happened had taken a lot out of him, and Prompto’s mind already circled back to the nearly dead flame.

“Prompto, is something the matter?”

Prompto flinched violently and averted his eyes bashfully. He should have known better than to assume Ignis didn’t still notice literally everything, even Prompto staring at him.

“No, it’s all good, I just…” he trailed off, his deliberately cheerful voice faltering near the end. Whatever he had been about to bullshit to brush Iggy off and pretend everything was fine got stuck right in his throat as he looked at Ignis. That gentle expression that hadn’t changed one bit and the way he was tilting his head ever so slightly to listen, something he had started doing after he’d woken up from his… coma, yeah, it had been a coma. Brief, but…

“I’m so glad you’re still here,” he blurted out, face burning with embarrassment, but that, at least, Iggy couldn’t see. Leaning closer to Ignis, just a little so their shoulders were lightly brushing together, he fought very hard to keep himself from getting all clingy and annoying, but he really wanted nothing more than just latch onto Ignis and never let go.

Ignis’ expression softened even further. His arm came up and wrapped itself around Prompto’s waist, pulling him in.

Prompto followed readily, pressing a bit closer to Ignis than what was probably socially acceptable, not that Ignis had ever cared about that kind of stuff anyway.

He let Prompto lean into his side and press his face into his shoulder without a comment. Instead, he turned his head and lightly pressed his lips to the top of Prompto’s head.

“Oh, Prompto.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Prompto sniffled, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. He hadn’t meant to cry, but something about Ignis made him want to abandon all caution and just weep into his shoulder. Luckily, he was able to keep himself from acting on that urge, at least. “Just… You feel like fire. Through- through the Armiger, I mean. And it was nearly out, I thought-”

He choked, unable to continue. Tears blurred his vision and he blindly grasped for Ignis’ hand, squeezing it tightly. “I’m sorry,” he repeated miserably.

“Don’t be. I’m here,” Ignis told him, never letting him go.

Prompto squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to take a deep breath, willing himself not to start crying in earnest. It worked, sort of, and he relaxed a little, but he made no move to pull away from Ignis. _Just a bit longer._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so the whole feeling each other thing might be a bit over the top here but I don't even care, I just wanna write about their wonderful friendship that now includes feeling each other like this, you're welcome. They can't normally feel each other's pain btw, this is just because of the ring.  
> Also, I love Prompto to pieces, he's right behind Ignis in my favourite character ranking, and I also love writing those two being friends so here's to affection-starved Prompto and affectionate Ignis and a lot of cuddling.  
> I just hc Ignis as giving out affection and forehead kisses and hugs very readily if the person needs it and I can also totally see him call his friends pet names like 'darling' or 'dear' bYE
> 
> ANYWAY, in case you're wondering what Prompto feels like, I couldn't decide between a summer breeze (because I was going with the four elements at first, so Noct = water, Ignis = fire, Gladio = earth and Prompto = air because I thought it fit them well) and literal sunshine so yeah, feel free to choose.
> 
> I'm also on Twitter (@Butterfly_OnIce) and Tumblr (thisfairytalegonebad), and even on Discord too (thisfairytalegonebad#2939) and I'm always happy to chat, about my fics or these boys or literally anything!! 
> 
> Stay tuned for Noct telling us about Episode Prompto!


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shows up three years late with Starbucks* whaddup, I've been getting my ass kicked by what I think may be depression, but I'm neither diagnosed nor seeing a therapist about it so I'm just kinda here, suffering... and so are the boys! Without further ado, have the Episode Prompto chapter!

Noct stared in shock as Ardyn’s face morphed into Prompto’s, features twisted in surprise and fear before he disappeared and Ardyn- the _real_ Ardyn knocked him out.

Later, he only vaguely recalled talking to Ignis on the phone and fighting off a bunch of daemons, with Prompto being the only thing on his mind.

“He’s okay, he’s alive,” Gladio insisted.

Ignis nodded in agreement. “Gladio is right. I can still feel him. Fret not, Noct. We will get him back.”

Noct took a deep breath, forced his panic into the back of his mind for a moment and zeroed in on their bond with Prompto. He _was_ still there, thank the gods, but who knew for how long. The area was crawling with daemons, and then the snow, the blizzard they’d seen earlier, and he had just fallen - been thrown, Noct’s mind whispered - off a _train._ He might not be dead, but he could still be _dying_ -

Noct didn’t even want to think about the possibility of losing Prompto. Not after losing Luna, after Ignis being injured… the thought of losing Prompto too was almost too much to bear. For now, he did his best to banish it from his mind and tried to focus on the feeling of _Prompto_ instead.

What was not comforting at all was that Prompto was feeling kind of weak… probably unconscious, Noct thought. Not surprising, but definitely not comforting either.

The worst part was that he wasn’t even able to _do_ anything about all this. They were still stuck on the train, would be for another few days until they reached Gralea, and Prompto was out there all alone, probably scared, and thinking Noct had _meant_ to throw him off the train-

Noct made a choked noise and shot up from his seat, muttering an excuse that sounded unbelievable to even his own ears, and marched off to their room in the sleeping cart. He ignored the concerned questions Gladio and Ignis shouted after him and only stopped walking once he pulled the door shut behind him and climbed up onto his bed.

Ignis had the bed below Noct's so he wouldn’t have to climb a ladder, and Gladio insisted on taking the other one and slept with his head right by the door, always watchful even in his sleep. Prompto slept on the other top bed. He always called dibs on the top bed when there was one, claiming that they were the coolest thing and that he’d always wanted one as a kid. Noct used to laugh at him for getting so excited but would secretly agree, bunk beds _were_ kind of cool after all. Now, it all seemed so mundane and unimportant.

He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before he rolled over and glanced at the other bed where some of Prompto’s things still lay scattered on the mattress.

 _Gods_. This wasn’t _fair_ , nothing about all this was fair.

A feeling he knew all too well was settling in Noct, since Altissia but even more noticeable now. It was rooted in his chest but began to spread, through his entire body until it was everywhere, weighing him down and leaving him feeling completely and utterly hopeless.

The first time he’d felt that way had been after the Marilith attack during his childhood. His memories of that time were fuzzy. A side effect of mental illness, as his therapists had said. But Ignis had told him about that time once, that he’d barely talked anymore and hadn’t found joy in anything at all. Apparently, he’d gone from being a happy, lively child to… _that_. Going to Tenebrae, meeting Luna, and regaining the ability to walk had helped, made him feel better, back then.

And then, a few years back, he’d felt almost as bad, with some days being so horrible he couldn’t even muster the strength to get up and go to school. He’d gone back to therapy then, and he’d been getting better, he really had. Not cured, but better.

Ignis had helped him as much as he could, both by covering for him during meetings he couldn’t focus on and cleaning his apartment when there was barely any space left on the floor.

Gladio would kick his ass out of bed and make him go to training with him, and as much as Noct had hated it, in retrospect he had to admit the exercise had actually helped, as had Gladio’s gruff but caring attitude.

And Prompto. Noct couldn’t even _begin_ to describe how much Prompto had helped him out of that ditch he’d found himself in back then, by simply being there, by being his awkward, cheerful self, by spending the weekends with him playing video games and having movie marathons and discussing the most idiotic things with him with no regard for his royal status. Prompto had befriended him without looking to gain anything from it, had wormed his way into Noct’s heart so fast and made himself at home there without even knowing it, had made Gladio and Ignis, two of the most sceptical people when it came to those looking to associate with Noct, practically adopt him the first time they met him.

There was nothing bad about Prompto, not a single mean cell in his body. Prompto was sunshine, he was warmth, he was a summer breeze, and Noct-

Noct had betrayed him.

He shuddered, tearing his gaze away from the empty bed, and curled in on himself. He felt as if he wanted to cry but he couldn’t, numbness slowly creeping up at him just like it had already done twice in his life.

No. No, he couldn’t. He couldn’t give in on that feeling, not again. Not this time.

Now, he had a responsibility to bear, a kingdom to lead, and a friend to retrieve. He wouldn’t let his mind take over again, whispering bad things to him and making him believe them. This time, he would fight. Gladio was right, he _had_ to take responsibility. He owed it to Prompto, to Ignis and Luna- to everyone, really. Everyone who had always stood by his side- he couldn’t let them down now.

“Shit. Okay,” he whispered to himself, clenching his fist tight around the ring. “Prompto, I’ll come for you.” 

* * *

After stopping in Tenebrae and talking to Aranea, they settled in the dining car, too much on edge to retreat into the sleeping car and lie down. For a while, they half-heartedly tried to manage a conversation, but it was clear that it was nothing but a poor attempt at distraction that was given up on after only a few minutes.

Noct clenched his jaw and focused on Prompto like he had been doing almost constantly since they’d lost him, but something was off. Instead of the warm breeze Noct had grown so used to, Prompto was getting colder and colder, like an icy gust of wind. It was enough to make him shiver.

“Are you guys getting that? Why is he so damn cold?” he asked, half-hoping he was just imagining this.

Gladio shrugged. “Must have to do with that blizzard we saw earlier… hope he can manage to find shelter or something,” he said, effectively destroying Noct’s however tiny grain of hope immediately.

“Prompto is resourceful. I have no doubts that he will find a way to keep warm in the storm,” Ignis said in an attempt to be reassuring, but his own concern that was laced into the statement kind of messed it up.

“He’s just so cold…” Noct muttered dejectedly, trying not to think of that stupid sleeveless shirt Prompto was wearing.

“Yeah…” Gladio agreed uncomfortably, and Ignis, for once, didn’t have a piece of wisdom to offer.

Noct’s heart sank. His two retainers reacting like _that_ , almost hopelessly, or at least like they thought something bad was going to happen to Prompto, made the situation seem ten times dismal than it already was before.

“We’ll get him back. We have to,” he said, as determined as he could manage.

“Of course we will.”

“Kid can’t get rid of us that easily.”

And that was it. They were gonna get Prompto back, no matter what.

* * *

Once they were in Gralea he got separated from Ignis and Gladio which set off a whole new spike of anxiety. But he trusted Gladio, _had_ to trust Gladio to keep both Ignis and himself safe. For now, they all had to focus on reuniting and on finding Prompto, whichever happened first.

The other two pulled curatives from the Armiger occasionally, but not at a frequency that made Noct’s throat tighten in fear and his skin crawl, thankfully. A potion here, an antidote there, much like their usual battles, if a little more intense. Not surprising, considering how many daemons were crawling around here, and Ardyn was probably playing his sadistic games with them as well.

Prompto, on the other hand- nothing. Not a single curative. And that was what _really_ worried Noct. After all, nobody could fall off a moving train, walk through a snowstorm and inevitably run into some daemons as soon as night fell without being injured. It wasn’t that he was still unconscious - or _dead_ \- either. Noct could still feel him, could also tell the difference between now and when he _had_ been unconscious.

Basically, Prompto was alive, awake, and even now, lost and alone in the cold after having been pushed off a train by his best friend of all people, he was still hesitant to use even a single potion. What if… he waited for too long and ended up dead after all?

Noct shook his head to force the thought out of his mind and kept running. He couldn’t think like that now; knew that if he did, he wouldn’t be able to pull himself together. He had to right this, had to find Prompto and make sure he was safe and unharmed and never taken from them again.

He did take time to rest occasionally, even though everything inside him yelled at him to keep going, to look for Iggy and Gladio, and to find Prompto. But then there was the voice of reason and common sense, the one that was usually so much weaker than his inner dumbass and that was usually carelessly shoved aside in favour of the dumbass voice. It also suspiciously sounded like a weird mix of Gladio and Ignis, probably because they were kind of Noct’s actual voice of reason.

They weren’t here, though, so it was just his own voice of reason telling him that it wouldn’t do him or Prompto any good if he exhausted himself. He didn’t even have weapons, he was still trying to learn how to use the ring’s full potential, and he was on his own for the time being. If he ran out of strength, he lost. So, no matter how counterproductive it seemed, the only way to move forward was to rest.

Once he sank down on one of the beds in those dormitories scattered everywhere in the Keep, knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway, he almost wished he hadn’t. Everything hurt, his muscles screamed at him, and his old back injury, as well as the one in his leg, flared up like they hadn’t in a long time. Dragging himself out of the bed when it was time to leave would be a nightmare he was _not_ looking forward to.

Ever since they’d left Insomnia, he had always been aching to a certain degree. Not really surprising, with all the running and fighting and crawling around caves and whatnot. But the pain had never gotten quite this bad, and even though he knew he should be saving the curatives for whatever was waiting for him in this place, he reluctantly used a single potion on himself to relieve the pain for a while.

Something his therapist - the physical therapist, not the one for his messed up mind - had once told him suddenly replayed in his head. Some injuries get worse or heal more slowly with mental or emotional anguish, she had said, back when he’d been left with tears of pain and frustration streaming down his face after each session, when his legs, despite all his efforts, would not move, and when his knee simply gave out even after he’d learnt to walk again.

If that was true, then with all the shit that was going on now… Well. It was hardly surprising that everything hurt the way it did now.

Sighing heavily, Noct closed his eyes, resting for an hour or two before he slowly, painfully, pushed himself out of the bed and headed for the door, stepping out and back into that horrible place. 

* * *

Noct froze when he saw that familiar blond hair as he rounded a corner, and he was running after Prompto before he even realized he’d started moving again.

“Prompto!” he yelled, but Prompto didn’t stop.

A pang of guilt struck when Noct realized Prompto must be terrified of him. No wonder he was running from him.

Noct gritted his teeth and pushed himself to run faster, but when he had to deal with a bunch of MTs, Prompto escaped without a trace.

“Shit!” Noct exclaimed, tears of anger and hurt springing to his eyes. He blinked them away quickly, not willing to grant Ardyn the satisfaction of seeing him cry.

He forced himself to take a couple of deep breaths and calm down, using reason instead of acting on his emotions- and that was when he realized something was very wrong in this scenario.

“That wasn’t Prompto,” he stated aloud, half to himself, half to Ardyn. Whoever it was he’d been chasing, they weren’t Prompto, didn’t _feel_ like Prompto. It wasn’t that he could actually determine distance through the bond, but it was always just a bit more noticeable when his friends were in close proximity to him. Very subtle, but he could still tell.

That imposter had felt nothing like Prompto, and Noct hadn’t felt like Prompto was any closer to him either.

“You hear that, you prick?” he yelled at the ceiling, knowing Ardyn would hear him. “You can’t fool me. I will _always_ know them!”

“Pity. I had been hoping to play a little longer. But it seems there is really nobody quite like your beloved friend, is there…” Ardyn purred from the speakers, somehow managing to sound equally annoying and creepy even with the tinny speaker sound.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Noct muttered to himself angrily. The cryptic remark made his skin crawl, as did this _whole entire place,_ aaand that reminded him that, right, he really had to keep working on getting them all out of here. 

* * *

“Why didn’t you use any fucking curatives?” Noct demanded, sounding almost as pissed as he felt as he ran careful fingers up and down Prompto’s arms, his back, and eventually his face. Pissed, but very, very relieved.

The room was tiny, yet Ignis and Gladio were currently giving them the illusion of privacy, seated on the bed farthest from his and Prompto’s to tend to their own wounds. That left the two of them to talk alone, even though the other two could probably still hear their lowered voices.

“Noct, it’s fine. I’m fine,” Prompto tried to brush him off with a nervous little laugh.

Noct wasn’t having any of his bullshit. His right hand moved up from Prompto’s cheek to his temple, brushing over the painful looking purplish bruise there.

“Tell me why.”

“Noct…” Prompto said weakly and lifted his hand to Noct’s, gently pulling it away from his face. “It’s… look, I thought you- on the train-”

He was barely making sense, but Noct understood exactly what he was talking about. He almost wished he didn’t. Prompto could have stabbed him right in the heart and it would have hurt less than-

“Prompto,” he choked, rushing forward to throw his arms around his friend, tightly, as if to hold him together. Prompto still felt cold, not physically, but through their bond. Still cold, but… warmer than when they’d found him for sure. He was warming up, the cold wind slowly being replaced with the breeze that reminded Noct of summer.

“I didn’t think I was allowed to…” Prompto confessed, his voice tight with pain. “I thought you didn’t want me-”

His voice cracked, and Noct held him tighter. “Prompto, I am so, so sorry. Ardyn was playing games with me the whole time, I should’ve seen-”

He sucked in a shuddering breath and fell silent as well. They looked a mess, he was sure, dirty and bloody and shaking, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Right now, he was just happy to have Prompto back with them.

“Aw,” Gladio’s deep voice rumbled behind them. “That’s adorable.”

He pushed Ignis forward and threw his arms around the three of them, squeezing until Noct could barely breathe.

Prompto was having the same issue, apparently. “Easy there, big guy,” he wheezed when the air was being squeezed from his lungs by Gladio’s insanely muscly arms.

“We’re just happy to have you back, kid.”

“Yeah… I’m happy to be back, too.”

When they finally pulled apart, Gladio showed Ignis to a bed before he lay down himself. Noct stood unmoving, hesitating before deciding that, who even cared.

“C’mere,” he muttered, pulling Prompto over to another bed and right into it with him.

“Noct,” Prompto yelped, struggling to sit up, but Noct wouldn’t let him get away.

“Shut up, just stay here.”

Prompto wiggled in his grip a few more times before giving up, lying there against Noct stiff as a board.

“...Okay.”

Then, into the silence, so softly Noct could barely hear him despite their closeness, “Thank you, Noct. Thanks for coming for me.”

“Always,” Noct whispered back. “Sleep. I’ve got you.”

“Yeah,” Prompto replied, and finally relaxed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone in a Discord I'm in pointed out how Prompto only works with stuff he finds along the way in Episode Prompto instead of taking anything from the Armiger... yeah that shit hurted.  
> I was really struggling with Noct's POV, but somehow it still turned out longer than either of the other two chapters I think.  
> The timeline of this part in the game just about killed me, so in the end I just kinda made up my own thing and went with it because somehow Episode Prompto and the main game chapters in which Prompto is gone just wouldn't add up.  
> Uhhhh, yeah, last chapter's gonna be them losing Noctis, then losing Noctis again and for good, from Gladio's POV.
> 
> I'm also on Twitter (@Butterfly_OnIce) and Tumblr (thisfairytalegonebad), and even on Discord too (thisfairytalegonebad#2939) and I'm always happy to chat, about my fics or these boys or literally anything!!
> 
> If you liked this, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it!


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